Draft-gear.



w. H. COTTON.

DRAFT GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED 0cT.19. 191s.

Patented Oct. 16, 1917.

-2 SHEETSSHEET I.

w. H. 001mm.

DRAFT GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 19. H5.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Oct. 16,1917.

IIIIIIIIIIIII I'IIIEE IIIIl WALTER H. COTTON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO UNION 'l.

. ion

CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

T 0 all whom it may concern 4 Be it known that I, WALTER H. OOTION, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft-Gears, of which the following is a specification, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The invention relates to draft gears for railway cars, of the friction type. Its object is to secure, with high efliciency, compactness of form and improved adaptability to environment.

The invention consists in a structure such as hereinafter described, and which forms one of its embodiments, and as illustrated in v the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan section of the gear as applied to the draft sills of a railway car, some parts being shown in plan,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central vertical section of the gear, some of the parts being shown in elevation,

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, the-gear being under compression, and

Figs. 4:, 5 and 6 are views of several of the elements of the gear.

In the drawings a pair of draft sills are represented at 10, 11, these sills being provided with draft lugs 12, 12 and bufling lugs 13, 13. There is also shown a butt end of a coupler 14: and a coupler extension or yoke 15 for inclosing the gear.

These various parts. may be of any preferred form, with the exception of the yoke, which as will hereinafter appear, is provided with an aperture in its rear or transverse end. i

The friction elements of the ear are inclosed within a air of box like ollowers 16, 17 adapted to t within the yoke 15 and to engage respectively the draft lugs 12 and buifin lugs 13.

Wifilin each of these followers or casings is inclosed a friction element comprising a group of members having engaging inclined faces. As shown, the members of each group, so far as relates to their external configuration are alike. Each friction element comprises a pair of triangular blocks 18, 19, adapted to fit within the side corners of a casing, their inner faces being inclined outwardly with referenceto the center line ofdraft from the bottom of the box like casing. A second pair of blocks 20, 21, shown Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 19, 1915. Serial No. 56,655.

21, of each of the friction elements are seated.

against the plate 23 and are preferably interlocked therewith by means of a rib 24 formed on the plate contacting face of the block and adapted to enter and slide in the channel 25 in the plate.

The spring element for eifecting the recoil of the gear is located back of the yoke 15 and is carried b a rod 26 which projects through a suita 1e aperture in the cross member 27 at the rear end of the yoke, and apertures in the follower 17 the center wedging member 28 of the rearward friction element, the plate 23 and the central wedging.

member 22 of the forward friction element, and at its forward end is provided with a head 29 housed within the recess in the member 22 and which prevents its withdrawal therefrom. For convenience in assembling this head is preferably T-shaped and the several apertures in the members 28, 23 and 22 are elongated to permit its entry. The rod having been inserted through the various members is given a quarter turn and p then drawn back until the head enters lateral recesses extending from the aperture in the block'22 whereby the rod. is prevented from turning. When In osition of service the inner end of the rod isentirely inclose within the recess in the block 22. An abutting plate 30 for "the spring element is mounted upon the rearend of the rod 26 and secured by any suitable means such as a nut 31 screwed upon the rod. The abuttin plate 32 for the forward end of the spring element is sleeved upon the rod and is in slidin engagement therewith, and is provided with a tubular stem 33 which proects through the aperture in the rear end of the oke 15 and the aperture in the follower li, and abuts against the central wedging member 28 of the rearward friction ele-, ment. Preferably the spring element is composed of a group of springs. As shown, this group of springs comprises a pair of outer helical coils 34, 35, and a pair of inner coils 36, 37, the two sets being arranged in tandem and a plate 38 being interposed therebetween. This arrangement is proposed merely because it provides for the use of springs of the present standard length and size in railroad service, though obviously the desired action may be secured by the use of a single spring coil and of ample size, in place of the four coils shown.

When the .gear is employed and in position of rest, the parts assume the relative position shown in Fig. 1, the followers 16, 17, bearing respectively against the draft and buffing lugs, the plate 23 being midway between these lugs, the blocks 22 and 28 being in engagement with the plate and the blocks 20, 21, being thereby separated. The parts are held in this relation by the spring element which in forcing the abutment plates 30, 32, apart by its expansion, has forced the blocks 22, 28, toward each other. The resulting outward movement of the blocks 20, 21, has caused the separation of the followers by the wedging action of these blocks 18, 19.

Under buffing stresses the parts ultimately assume the relative position as shown in Fig. 3.- The forward follower 16 being moved inwardly,the blocks 18, 19, cause the relative approach of the blocks 20,21,which in turn, cause the recession from the plate 23 of the blocks 22, 28. the movement of the block 22, however, being relative as to the plate, the plate, in fact, being the movable member. The movement apart of the blocks 22, 28, causes the compression of the spring element, the abutment plate 32 being moved backwardly with the block 28. The over compression of the spring element is prevented by the contact of the inner ends of the box like followers with the plate 23. Preferably these followers are provided with inwardly projecting lugs 39 for engagement with the plate. As the gear is compressed friction is developed between the blocks 22 and 28 and the blocks 20, 21 with which each cooperates; between the several blocks 20 and 21, and the plate 23, and between the blocks 18, 19 and the blocks 20, 21.

When the bufling pressure is reduced, the expansion of the spring element causes the movement apart of the abutment 30, 32 and thereby the relative, approach of the blocks 22, 28. The blocks 20, 21 are thus wedged outwardly and cooperating with the blocks 18, 19, ultimately restore all of the elements to the position of Fig. 1.

Under the influence of stresses of draft the relative movements of the various parts are the same, except that the rearward follower 17 is moved forwardly by the yoke 15.

While a'preferred and operative construc'-.

tion is shown, the invention may be variously embodied, and I do not, therefore, desire to be limited to the particular form, disclosed,

I claim as my invention,

1. In a draft gear, in combination, a pair of open faced casings alined on the line of the rearward central wedge .block, a spring abutment at the rear end of the last named rod, and spring means interposed between the two abutments, both of the named rods extending through the aperture of the cross 7 member of the yoke.

2. In a draft gear, in combination, a yoke having its rear end apertured, friction ele-' ments within the yoke, a spring back of the yoke, and connection through the yoke aperture between the friction elements and-the opposite ends of the spring.

3. In a draft gear, in combination, a yoke, two sets of friction elements inclosed within the yoke, a transverse plate interposed between and frictionally engaged by the friction elements, a spring exterior of the yoke and in line with the gear, such spring reacting. on the two sets of friction elements.

4. In a draft gear, in combination, a pair of opposed followers, two sets of friction elements interposed between the followers, a transverse plate interposed between and frictionally engaged by the friction elements, a spring back of the rearward follower and located on the axis of the gear, abutments between which the spring reacts, and connection between each abutment and one of the sets of friction elements.

5. In a friction draft gear, the combina tion with front and rear followers having inclined friction faces, opposed central wedgeblocks having inclined friction faces, two pairs of wedge-blocks having friction faces for engaging the friction faces of the followers and the central wedge-blocks, and a transverse plate interposed between the two pairs of wedge-blocks, of a single set of draft springs for opposing movement of the friction members under both draft and bufling stresses.

WALTER II. COTTON. 

